The moment you find out your expecting excitement and joy begins to set in. How wonderful to be able to tour the birth center that you've been dreaming of and find out....YES we take your insurance! Natural BirthWorks, birth center, really tries to cater to everyone by attempting to contract with as many plans as we possibly can. So far, Natural Birthworks birth center and the Midwives, are contracted with Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Oscar.
Contracts coming soon: United healthcare and Aetna. We also offer a financial hardship discounted rate for those who have Medicaid.
What does it mean to be contracted with a plan? This means your plan has agreed to pay the Midwives a fee for their prenatal visits, labor, and up to 2 postpartum visits. However, when you sign on for Midwifery care you get so much more!
~You are provided personalized care,
~24hr access and communication with your Midwife,
~Childbirth Classes,
~Nutritional counseling for pregnancy, and much more.
There is actually a whole breakdown of what is also provided but not covered under insurance. Because of this, many Midwives or birth centers charge an additional fee or what Natural BirthWorks calls a "concierge fee". It's so important that clients understand this is separate from what the plan covers.
Although we wish the insurance companies would cover our complete care, they unfortunately do not. Out of the contracted portion that the plan does cover, comes with it a possibility of additional fees like a copay, co-insurance, or deductible. This is something you have to pay before the plan covers any agreed contracted amount. This is required for any location, not just a birth center but a hospital too (beware of surprise bills after you leave the hospital).
For example, let's say the birth center has a concierge fee of $3000. Then you get your insurance verified and they say you have a $1000 deductible. Your total out of pocket would be $4000 ($1000 going toward your deductible and $3000 toward the additional services that do not fall under the contract with your insurance plan).
NBW still uses the insurance plan for labs (ex. quest) but they do NOT reimburse for the lab draw fee that falls under the concierge fee. NBW still uses the plan for ultrasounds (you are required to confirm the Ultrasound location takes your plan) but the insurance does NOT cover the review/assessment of the ultrasound by the Midwife. Again, this falls under the concierge fee.
It's important to always make sure you understand what is covered and what isn't so you don't get any surprise bills. Here at Natural BirthWorks we strive ourselves to provide detailed explanations of benefits and any fees up front so clients can enjoy their pregnancy and postpartum with the new little one!
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